NORFOLK, Va. – A man from Minnesota has admitted to his role in a disturbing conspiracy to create and distribute animal crushing videos. Jeffrey Radtke, 61, of Bloomington, Minnesota, pled guilty yesterday in federal court, acknowledging his involvement in directing and funding the production of videos that showed the torture and killing of juvenile monkeys.
Court documents reveal that from June 2021 to July 2022, Radtke received over 20 electronic payments, ranging from $1 to $300, from co-conspirators. The money went towards hiring videographers, primarily in Indonesia, to produce these brutal videos. The videos specifically featured the mistreatment and deaths of macaque monkeys.
Radtke and his co-conspirators maintained regular communication with a contact known as Coconspirator 11 (CC11) in Indonesia, directly instructing them on how to torture the animals for the videos. Over 14 months, Radtke sent over 40 payments, ranging from $25 to $295, to CC11 for the production of new videos, which he shared with others involved in the scheme.
When law enforcement seized Radtke’s electronic devices in April 2023, they discovered over 2,600 videos and 2,700 images depicting horrific acts of animal cruelty.
Radtke’s sentencing is set for February 13, 2025. He faces up to five years in prison, though federal sentences are often less than the maximum allowed under law. The final decision will rest with the federal district court judge, who will weigh factors such as U.S. Sentencing Guidelines when determining his punishment.